Going Back To School

Husband-and-wife team Raj and Veenu Parkash knew how to run a business together. But when they became first-time franchisees with Lightbridge Academy, they realized they still had plenty of lessons to learn.

- Stephanie Schomer

Raj and Veenu Parkash are seasoned business owners. After they married, in the ’90s, they owned and operated a garment business in Manhattan while raising their young family in the New Jersey suburbs. But after eight years of that, they wanted a way to work closer to their kids—which is why they became franchisees of an East Coast–based early childhood education center called Lightbridge Academy. Despite their past experience, launching this business felt like starting from square one. The two longtime entrepreneurs tell us how they hit reset on their careers, learned the ins and outs of an unfamiliar industry, and earned the hard-won trust of their community’s parents. What attracted you to Lightbridge Academy, coming from the garment industry?

RAJ: Our daughter was actually enrolled in Lightbridge Academy in New Jersey when we were running our garment business in Manhattan. And on 9/11, we could not get to her. From there, we wanted an opportunity that would let one of us stay close to home.